Surviving Progress

As humanity basks in the glow of a century of unprecedented technological progress in the early years of the 21st century, a growing number of scientists wonder if we're really as well off as we imagine. While the world has a remarkable range of products and services at its disposal, we also have a dwindling supply of un-renewable natural resources, an environment damaged by global warming, a faltering global economy, and large parts of the world are demanding a First World standard of living while the nations that created it are struggling to keep their heads above water. Has the world become a victim of its own desire for progress? Filmmakers Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks examine the price we are paying for years of short-term advancement with little thought of long-term consequences in the documentary Surviving Progress. Featuring interviews with Stephen Hawking, Jane Goodall, David Suzuki, Margaret Atwood, Jim Thomas and many more, Surviving Progress offers a sobering look at how unchecked science and economics have taken the world down a dangerous path, and what can be done to create a more sustainable future. Adapted from Ronald Wright's book A Short History of Progress, Surviving Progress was an official selection at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.